Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan on Friday urged to save energy and boost domestic demand amid efforts to achieve a sound and rapid economic growth.

Zeng told the national development and reform meeting in Beijing that ministries and local authorities should unveil more measures to better save energy, protect environment, and improve people's livelihood.

He urged the transformation of the growth mode of economy by relying more on domestic demand, self innovation, energy saving and pollution reduction.

The vice premier said ministries and local governments should work out innovative opening-up policies to give full play to the nation's comparative advantage and to balance its international payments.

He also called for an improvement in fiscal and tax systems as well as macro-control efforts for a coordinated and sound economic growth.

Ma Kai, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told the meeting that the nation will strictly control industrial use and exports of grain while expanding imports to prevent a shift from structural price rises to evident inflation.

Rising food prices have pushed the increase in China's consumer price index to 6.5 percent in October, matching the 11-year-high in August and well above the 6.2 percent in September.

"We will boost production of necessities, including grain, edible oil, meat and other major agricultural products to ensure market supply," Ma said.

Ma also pledged that the government will clamp down on price rigging and offer low-income residents allowances to help offset price rises.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)